LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The family of Michael Jackson has been told by state officials that it may be possible to bury the singer at Neverland Ranch -- if the county gives the green light.

Santa Barbara County says it hasn't yet been contacted about burying Michael Jackson at Neverland.

Officials with Santa Barbara County, the site of the ranch, said Thursday that they have not yet been approached, and it was not clear whether the family had decided to pursue that option.

A lawyer from the Jackson family contacted state officials recently about possibly burying Jackson at the ranch that was his home for almost two decades, said Amanda Fulkerson of California's State and Consumer Services Agency.

To bury someone on private land in California is a two-step process.

First, a certificate of authority is needed from the state Cemetery and Funeral Bureau -- easily obtainable by filling out a two-page application and paying $400. Next, the family needs approval from the county.

No one from the Jackson camp has contacted county authorities yet, said county spokesman William Boyer.

"We have had no formal application either from the Jackson family or from the property owner," said Boyer, the communications director for the county. "At that point, we would review the application and make a determination."

Boyer said Santa Barbara county has never been approached about burial on private land.